Author: StrangeAgo
Armed Guards Sealed Off Virginia Smallpox Region
Armed guards once surrounded a small mountain region of Virginia to keep smallpox from escaping. In February 1900, the Denmark area near the headwaters of…
1907 Household Hacks Used Spools, Bottles, and Broomsticks to Save the Day
Long before convenience stores, overnight delivery, and endless household gadgets, home makers often had to solve small domestic emergencies with whatever was already close at…
Chicago Heiress Took Vows of Silence Hoping to Cure Her Deaf Brother
Mary Holway had wealth, youth, and a comfortable place in Chicago society. Then, at twenty-five, she gave it all up. Before the altar of a…
New Rochelle Farmers Threatened to Burn Pesthouse Built for Smallpox Patients
The fight over a pesthouse in New Rochelle had turned into something close to open rebellion. In the Jerusalem Woods north of the city, health…
Yale Medical Student Trapped in Pesthouse After Volunteering to Treat Smallpox Patient
When smallpox appeared in Derby, Connecticut, fear spread almost as quickly as the disease. C.P. Cook was taken to the town pesthouse, isolated from everyone…
Camden Policemen Knocked Down by Electric Shock After Wires Crossed
At four o’clock in the morning, Camden’s police telephones turned deadly. Inside City Hall, Policeman Barr lifted the receiver to take the usual calls from…
How to Safely Handle and Store 100-Year-Old Newspapers and Letters Without Damaging Them
The Enemy When you hold a 100-year-old newspaper or letter, you are holding a slow-motion chemical reaction. To successfully preserve these documents, you first need…
The Unsung Operators Behind the Knickerbocker Theatre Rescue
When the roof of Washington’s Knickerbocker Theatre collapsed under the weight of heavy snow, the first alarm came through an ordinary telephone call. A man…
Man Dies Saving His Dog From Oncoming Train
Waverly Moore was walking home from work when a train came up behind him on the tracks. Beside him, as always, was his little dog….
16-Year-Old Boy Drowns During Evening Swim in Nimishillen Creek
A summer evening swim in Nimishillen Creek ended in tragedy for 16-year-old Royal W. Tebay. He and his companion, Clayton W. Hines, had gone to…
